Arrow Lake the water in my bones was running dry

if i knew, perhaps the deed would be done already. had she missed her shot?  she thought of the circus back at akashingo.

her gaze apprised ephraim. he was healthier than she saw him last. his fur was thin still, but no longer possessed that lackluster glare of a wolf deprived. the deft flicks of his paw spoke of his healing: a wolf of poor health would sport a limp still.

for a moment she thought he might come closer. like him, an unspoken tether snarled between them. that taotaomoa... qiao did not trust it would not hurt her. in that way, perhaps the three of them were wolves cut of the same skeptic cloth. every wolf was deserving of a little suspicion, no? i wondered if you might work for me.